I went through a brief customs screening leaving North Macedonia, but all customs and immigration stations were closed at the Kosovo border. Oh well, just another tourist (or terrorist) entering without screening!
So the whole day was continuous heavy rain as forecast, with the exception of two hours through the mountains in Kosovo. There it was heavy snow in the place of rain! Fortunately, the winding mountain road was in good shape and traffic was light. Of course it was! The locals were not silly enough to be out driving! Only crazy American terrorists tourists.
In Prizren, Kosovo, a picturesque town in southern Kosovo, there are dozens and dozens of men’s and women’s tailor shops and jewelry stores side by side in the shopping area. Guess the place to come for tailored clothing is the Balkans! I haven’t checked jewelry prices yet, but with so much competition, maybe that’s a good value here, too.
Now that I’m in Albania, I finally have an “easy” languageto deal with, relatively speaking. Albanian is not a Cyrillic alphabet language like some of the other Balkan countries. Albania uses the Latin alphabet…with only 36 letters. So there are at least a few words that seem familiar.
Tirana is the capital of Albania, and I’m quite sure the capital for driver’s,too (at least on a rainy day)! Not a lot of horn honking like some countries, but bad drivers abound and lane markings are mere suggestions!
A shopping area near my apartment has a string of 30 or 40 bicycle sales and repair shops along one street! Seems odd since I don’t see very many bikes in the city. And certainly nothing like Holland where bikes outnumber cars more than 2 to 1!
I visited the famous Et’Hem Bey Mosque in Tirana. And as I write this (sitting outside at a bar, drinking beer), I am listening to the call to prayer, one of five times during each day for Muslims. Albania is about 60% Muslim residents nationally.
- The construction of the mosque was started in 1791 or 1794 by Molla Bey and it was finished in 1819 or 1821 by his son Haxhi Ethem Bey. During the totalitarianism of the Socialist People’s Republic of Albania, the mosque was closed; it was declared a historical monument and underwent restorations in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
- On January 18, 1991, despite opposition from communist authorities, 10,000 people entered the mosque carrying flags. The event was a milestone in the rebirth of religious freedom in Albania. The Mosque was restored back in 2018.
- It is composed of a prayer hall, a portico that surrounds its north and early minaret. The frescoes of the mosque depict trees, waterfalls and bridges.
- Most of the scenes that appear in mural paintings, are not realistic paintings, but imaginary scenes. The portico of the mosque is decorated by numerous landscapes as well.
My first beer on the trip was an Albanian beer, Korca, a traditional blond ale. I say it tastes just like Heineken, my fav! “But wait,” some would say, “why can’t the Heineken taste like Korca?” Easy, Heineken was originally bottled in 1874, but Korca only came on the scene in 1928. So Heineken wins.
I brought 50 small American flag lapel pins as giveaways, and wow! They have been a huge hit with everyone so far – lodging folks, border guards, gas station attendants, bartenders, etc.
Dinner was interesting, although not very tasty. I had three traditional Albanian dishes – cheese with beef, cheese with peppers, and corn bread covered in sauce. At least the small loaf of bread was good. Oh, well.
Before you go…
“Never regret anything that made you smile.” — Mark Twain
A Captain’s Adventures 